Kevin Smith
Superhero
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Welcome to "Justice League Movie: Blogged and Memo to WB", where I (and you) let WB and others know what I want in a JLA film, and how to make it worth while. In other words, these are my suggestions on how to make JLA great.
I for one hope and think it will happen. And while I'd love to see individual films first leading up into a big ensemble JLA film, it isn't gonna happen. A JLA film is the best chance we've got at seeing of DC's finest on screen. If WB/DC had been smarter a few years ago when they started to recycle the Batman and Superman film franchises, they could've set the two respective films up in the same universe, establishing a DC film U, but they didn't, so there is no way that we'll be seeing individual films that lead into JLA first, and we especially won't be seeing Singer's Superman and Nolan's Batman in an ensemble movie together. Just face the reality and accept that a JLA film will happen first, hopefully it will be good and will serve as a springboard for individual DC character films like Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, etc. Short of doing individual character films first that lead into an Justice League film, this is the best way t o do it.
2010 IS THE ONLY CHANCE
Look, Marvel has the Avengers scheduled for release in 2011, which, I don't know if you've noticed, is gonna be HUGE. If DC wants to beat Marvel to the punch with a big superhero team movie, a JLA film HAS to be put out BEFORE the Avengers. If not, Marvel will have out done DC in just about every way possible on screen and a JLA movie will seem second best, like a Johnny-come-lately after the Avengers comes out. I say get this thing into production and let's get it out there, dammit, before people get sick of these movies!
RESPECT THE SOURCE
The closer a comics film is to the source material, the more successful it is. Iron Man and Spider-Man, among other films, are proof of that. There is no need to completely reinvent the characters from what they were in the comics into.....whatever. Now when I say "respect the source", I don't mean to tell an exact comic book story, panel for panel, on film, I mean keep the status quo of the comic books, the simple, obvious stuff, and tell just tell a new story with it. For instance, don't give Superman a bastard child, make Batman a killer, have Krypton never explode, have the Martian Manhunter be from someplace other than Mars, alter costumes majorly, etc, don't do things that go against the status quo that the comics have established over the course of years, the things that are constants with all the characters' stories. Just play with the toys that are ALREADY THERE. Keep the characters' stories, costumes, and everything else as close to the books as realistically possible and create a story that is best fit for film.
NO SECOND STRINGERS
This film has gotta have the classic, original, A-list lineup: Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. The Flash. Green Lantern. Martian Manhunter. Aquaman. Anything else would be an abomination. It's gotta be the A-List, especially in the first movie.
NO LESS THAN 2 HOURS & 15 MINUTES LONG
A film this size, with SO many (iconic) characters, simply can't be done under 2 hours. It. Just. Can't. I've heard rumors that the film was supposed to be 90 minutes, that's a completely ridiculous runtime and will be crap if cut like that. All the characters must be well developed, anything under 2 1/4 hours ain't gonna cut it. WB, you guys have a Batman film coming up that's over 2 hours and 30 minutes, a JLA with a similar runtime shouldn't be a problem.
HOLY TRINITY
Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. Capitalize on these guys! Advertise 'em like crazy! Everyone knows who Superman and Batman are, most people can recognize WW, people will go crazy over them being in a movie together! People who are unfamiliar with the other League members who may not even be aware of the JLA as a comics team will go and see a movie with Superman and Batman in it. It must live up to the hype. These 3 must be featured very prominently throughout the film. A JLA movie can't be made without the big 3. To quote Brad Meltzer on the matter, "That'd be like throwing a seventies party and saying 'no crappy clothes'".
HAL JORDAN
I know that DC/WB is keen on using John Stewart to add some ethnic diversity to the team (Martian Manhunter is green, but I guess that doesn't count cuz he isn't real
), and that's fine by me because Hal Jordan is getting his own Green Lantern film. But Hal Jordan is a major fan favorite, and a lot of people have expressed how pissed off they are over John being used instead Hal in the film. Is there a solution? Yes. Compromise. John Stewart can be the main Green Lantern in the JLA film, but have Hal show up in a scene and converse with John. Just 40 seconds of face-time for Hal Jordan and fans will go wild and will love the movie to death. If Marvel can get Tony Stark to have a 90 second scene with Thunderbolt Ross at the end of Incredible Hulk then surely DC/WB can get Hal to cameo in JLA. Besides, what better way to establish to audiences that there's more than one Green Lantern then to have Hal and John appear in the same film? This will also get more people interested in the Green Lantern film, and will help them accept Hal Jordan, who is a white guy, being the GL in the GL film. So there ya have it, John is the main GL featured in the JLA film, but Hal shows up for a half a minute cameo. Done. Everyone's happy. It doesn't drastically change the film one bit, if anything, it gets it more fan support.
THE FLASH
I don't know for sure which Flash WB and CO are planning on using, but may I make a suggestion? BARRY ALLEN. Why? Well, first of all, he's the most self contained of all the Flashes, you don't have to know who Jay Garrick, Wally West, or Bart Allen are in order to know who Barry is. To tell Wally's story, Barry has to be established first, Wally's character's entire reason for being is is based on Barry Allen. Wally was Kid Flash, Barry's sidekick and nephew, like Robin to Batman, before he became Flash, and from what I hear, WB isn't keen on there being more than 1 Flash in their film, I don't blame them. As if it isn't enough for audiences to accept one speedster and the rest of the JLA, they have to accept a Flash sidekick, who's essentially a miniature Barry Allen? Pretty thin, and not a good idea for the first big screen outing for the character from where I sit. Secondly, Barry Allen has the coolest secret identity; he's a forensic scientist, which is, I don't know if you've noticed, an extremely popular job in entertainment these days. Look at CSI Miami, Bones, Silent Witness, Criminal Minds, Dexter, NCIS, Monk, all popular and successful shows about forensic scientists, a superhero with this job would be very well accepted, Barry is that superhero. Also, he's the only Flash to consistently have a secret identity. Up until recently (for over 18 years), Wally's identity was publicly known, he was viewed as a sort of celebrity, similar to the Fantastic 4. Barry Allen also has the best origin (also the most self contained); "Barry Allen is a 24 year old police scientist with a reputation for being very slow, deliberate, and frequently late, which frustrated his girlfriend/eventual fiancée, Iris West. One night, as he was preparing to leave work, a lightning bolt shattered a case full of chemicals and spilled them all over him. As a result, Barry found that he could run extremely fast, had matching reflexes, and had complete control over his molecular structure. He donned a red suit sporting a lightning bolt, dubbed himself the Flash, and became a crimefighter" (- wikipedia). 'Nuff said. He was also a founding member of the original JLA, even suggesting the word "justice" be used in the alliance's name. Barry would be the best Flash to translate to film. The only way they could possibly use Wally would be if they took Barry's story and gave it to Wally, much like the JLU show did. Not to mention that Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver are re-launching the Flash comic this January (Jan 2009) with Barry Allen as the lead Flash again in Flash: Rebirth, much like they did with Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern comic back in 2005, so it would be great if the on screen Flash were the same as the Flash in the current comic books. Also, WB and CO, while the Flash character, namely Barry and Wally, has always maintained a good sense of humor, PLEASE, PLEASE, don't make the Flash a complete joke. He can be humorous, even the team's so called "comedy relief", but do not make the Flash into a joke. I don't think he should be played as jokey as he was on the JL/JLU show played him, the Flash on that show's personality was much more in line with Bart Allen's from his Impulse days then that of the actual Wally West or Barry Allen. I don't want to see the Flash doing something stupid every time he shows up just for a cheap laugh from the audience, The Flash is a sensible guy, not an idiot and shouldn't be played that way.
NO MORE SUPERMAN THE WUSS
WB and CO, Take a cue from the JLU show and Byrne era Superman and have Supes kick some long over due ass this time, please. All the way back to the Reeve films, WB has played Superman as a punching bag wimp. No more. Let Superman cut loose, Superman shouldn't take **** from no one, let him FIGHT something. Give us a the REAL Superman, the tough, ass kicking Superman.
BATMAN: THE THINKING MAN
Fer godsakes, this Batman has got to be a smart one. The JLA Batman needs to be Batman the detective, the tactician, the thinking man, the guy who can outsmart everyone, who's physically the least powerful on the team, but if he puts his mind to it he can do anything. If he puts his mind to it he could destroy every member on the team. That's the only way Batman can be valuable to the League, he's "the smart one". He's also got to be the technological genius, the guy with all the gadgets and things, he's got to be inventive, he built the Watchtower, the League's headquarters, the batmobile, etc. Those aspects of Batman need to be focused on very heavily in this film, because if they aren't, Batman's just a guy who's good at hiding and beating up people, which isn't very impressive or useful when compared to the guy who can throw mountains, or the guy who can move at lightspeed, or the guy who can read minds and fly, etc. The JLA Batman has to be a bi t t more of a sci fi type Batman instead of the "real world" Batman of the Nolan's films in order to fit into the world of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and the JLA.
A VILLAIN WORTHY OF THEIR TALENTS
Darkseid. The White Martians. Brainiac. Mongul. Amazo. Max Lord and the OMACs. Despero. Anyone of these would make a great choice for the JLA's first big screen outing. There should be lots of fights and battles throughout the movie, Transformers scale stuff. Have Supes and Darkseid have a showdown while the rest of the League fights parademons, stuff like that. It has to be HUGE.
NO ORIGIN, PLEASE
There's no need to have Justice League be an origin film. I just don't see the reason. They're 7 superheroes, there doesn't have to be an elaborate explanation for why they team exists. If individual characters' origins are mentioned or explained briefly, that's fine, but there's no need for this to be a long winded origin film, IMO.
STAPLES OF THE LEAGUE
Martian Manhunter is a MUST. He must be in this film. He's got many awesome abilities, he looks cool, he's one of DC's most interesting characters, he has to be in this film. He's become one of DC's most popular characters in such a short amount of time because of the cartoons. Even my mom likes him. He doesn't need a part as major as Superman, Batman, WW, Flash, or even GL, but he needs to be there and have a purpose. Aquaman should be in it too, however he won't need to be shown that much, out of all the characters, he could have the least amount of face-time.That said, when he does show up, WB and CO, don't treat him as a joke because he lives under water and can communicate with sea creatures. Show why he's valuable to the League. If not, then don't even include him in the film. Perhaps in sequels The Atom (Ray Palmer), and Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Hawkman & Hawkgirl, and Black Canary could have cameos.
CASTING WITH JUSTICE
Cast very carefully. If many unknowns are cast for the heroes, they must be able to look and sound like them and ACT. However, a film like this needs some star power, a familiar face needs to be in it, whether it's as a villain or hero or even a supporting character, there must be at least 1-2 big names with a project this size, in my opinion. Granted, some of the characters will sell the movie itself, like Superman and Batman, but the rest of the Leaguers, unfortunately, won't be getting that much attention unless there's a bigger name playing them or there's a big name in the film. Look at Iron Man, most people had no idea who that character was but they knew who Robert Downey Jr. was, and that's what got their attention, that he was playing a character like that, and ultimately, I think that factored into the film's success. Something similar needs to be done with the League. I'm not saying cast big names as all the heroes or even most the heroes, but for some par ts, maybe a vi llain, there need s to be a big name cast. While GOOD unknowns are...good, a film this size can't support itself on only nobodies, a big name needs to be thrown in somewhere.
GET PEOPLE WHO GIVE A DAMN
This goes for director, writer, costume designer, etc, if the people don't care about the source material, then the film doesn't work. Remember, the closer it is to the source material, the more successful the film is, which is why it's so important that the makers of the movie care about the JLA.
THEY HAVE TO LOOK LIKE THE JLA
Look, the JLA ain't X-Men. Their suits are iconic, they mean something, they're individuals, they're a major part of what makes them so recognizable. Wonder Woman needs to look like Wonder Woman. Superman needs to look like Superman. The Flash needs to look The Flash. Martian Manhunter needs to look like the Martian Manhunter, and dare I say it, Batman needs to look like Batman. I'm not saying that the suits need to be made out of cheap spandex and tighty tights, but the overall look of the characters needs maintain the appearance they've had in the comics. Make the suits out of stylish materials, like the Spider-Man movie suit, or Daredevil movie suit, or even the Superman Returns suit's material, there's a way to do the comic book suits and make them look good without compromising the classic comic book looks. It doesn't have to be "Adam West" or plastic/rubbery Tim Burton, there are plenty of different styles and materials to chose from to make each character look believable and respectful of their comics counterparts. They shouldn't look like X-Men or wear black rubber/plastic or junk hugging, peter pan tights. There is a way to get the costumes right.
IMPRESSIVE. MOST IMPRESSIVE
Do something people have never seen before, make the audience feel like they've been somewhere. Do some really epic stuff, impress people with the SFX and fight scenes. Do trivial things that will excite people (examples) like Superman and Flash having a race, show how Martian Manhunter shape shifts, have GL make giant hands or whatever with his ring, do a close up of the Flash vibrating his molecules so he can pass thru solid objects, or have him run up the side of a building, stuff like that and more. Make people remember the movie. Do some Star Wars-ian, real epic type stuff.
TEAM SCORE
The JLA movie soundtrack must not be anything short of Williamsesque if you catch my drift. It can't be filled with secular tunes that will make the film look dated ten years from now. It also must have a score that holds up with the rest of the film, unlike some of the greatest latest comics film, such as Iron Man, Batman Begins, and Incredible Hulk (great stories, poor scores). In other words, WB and CO, get somebody like John Willaims to score it.
NOT ANOTHER CARTOON
No way should it be anything other than live action, dammit. I think it would take away from the film's box office and wouldn't quite do the characters, who have been waiting a loooooongtime to be in a live action, big budget movie, if you'll pardon my choice of word, JUSTICE. Save the "mo-cap" crap video game stuff or whatever for DTVs or TV. Besides, THE AVENGERS is gonna be live action.
AN AMERICAN NAME
Look, I'm all for having "America" in the name, but I have a feeling that Justice League of America would make for too long of a title, and not everyone would get the acronym "JLA", plus WB and CO are concerned with how to market a film with "America" in its name overseas. So I say that the film simply be called "Justice League" and in the film the League can be referred to as JLA (Justice League of America) and Justice league, JLA can be the logo on their headquarters, equipment, etc. It's a nice compromise and I think it'd work.
DON'T LISTEN TO THE HATERS
I'm talking about the ungrateful nits who say they don't ever want a JLA film (but will go see it opening day heheh). The people who are constantly prophecying "doom and gloom" for a JLA film, a film of which they actually know very, very little about. Don't worry about them. Once some pictures and a trailer are released they'll be all over how awesome the film is, so pay no attention to the petty whiners who don't want a JLA film made cuz it'll "get in the way of their Batman and/or Superman films", which is complete BS, by the way. The more success and exposure these characters have, the better, it keeps them household names (in a good way), makes more money for DC/WB, and is a win/win scenario for we, the fans, who get to see more of our respective heroes. I have no problem with Bale and Routh's Batman and Superman being on screen the same time as the JLA's Batman and Superman. I will go see them all. (Just make it good!
)
Now hopefully, somebody important reading this will take my suggestions into consideration and we'll have a truly awesome JLA film. I wish WB and CO the best with all their DC Comics based projects and hope for the best with this film.
I for one hope and think it will happen. And while I'd love to see individual films first leading up into a big ensemble JLA film, it isn't gonna happen. A JLA film is the best chance we've got at seeing of DC's finest on screen. If WB/DC had been smarter a few years ago when they started to recycle the Batman and Superman film franchises, they could've set the two respective films up in the same universe, establishing a DC film U, but they didn't, so there is no way that we'll be seeing individual films that lead into JLA first, and we especially won't be seeing Singer's Superman and Nolan's Batman in an ensemble movie together. Just face the reality and accept that a JLA film will happen first, hopefully it will be good and will serve as a springboard for individual DC character films like Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, etc. Short of doing individual character films first that lead into an Justice League film, this is the best way t o do it.
2010 IS THE ONLY CHANCE
Look, Marvel has the Avengers scheduled for release in 2011, which, I don't know if you've noticed, is gonna be HUGE. If DC wants to beat Marvel to the punch with a big superhero team movie, a JLA film HAS to be put out BEFORE the Avengers. If not, Marvel will have out done DC in just about every way possible on screen and a JLA movie will seem second best, like a Johnny-come-lately after the Avengers comes out. I say get this thing into production and let's get it out there, dammit, before people get sick of these movies!
RESPECT THE SOURCE
The closer a comics film is to the source material, the more successful it is. Iron Man and Spider-Man, among other films, are proof of that. There is no need to completely reinvent the characters from what they were in the comics into.....whatever. Now when I say "respect the source", I don't mean to tell an exact comic book story, panel for panel, on film, I mean keep the status quo of the comic books, the simple, obvious stuff, and tell just tell a new story with it. For instance, don't give Superman a bastard child, make Batman a killer, have Krypton never explode, have the Martian Manhunter be from someplace other than Mars, alter costumes majorly, etc, don't do things that go against the status quo that the comics have established over the course of years, the things that are constants with all the characters' stories. Just play with the toys that are ALREADY THERE. Keep the characters' stories, costumes, and everything else as close to the books as realistically possible and create a story that is best fit for film.
NO SECOND STRINGERS
This film has gotta have the classic, original, A-list lineup: Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. The Flash. Green Lantern. Martian Manhunter. Aquaman. Anything else would be an abomination. It's gotta be the A-List, especially in the first movie.
NO LESS THAN 2 HOURS & 15 MINUTES LONG
A film this size, with SO many (iconic) characters, simply can't be done under 2 hours. It. Just. Can't. I've heard rumors that the film was supposed to be 90 minutes, that's a completely ridiculous runtime and will be crap if cut like that. All the characters must be well developed, anything under 2 1/4 hours ain't gonna cut it. WB, you guys have a Batman film coming up that's over 2 hours and 30 minutes, a JLA with a similar runtime shouldn't be a problem.
HOLY TRINITY
Superman. Batman. Wonder Woman. Capitalize on these guys! Advertise 'em like crazy! Everyone knows who Superman and Batman are, most people can recognize WW, people will go crazy over them being in a movie together! People who are unfamiliar with the other League members who may not even be aware of the JLA as a comics team will go and see a movie with Superman and Batman in it. It must live up to the hype. These 3 must be featured very prominently throughout the film. A JLA movie can't be made without the big 3. To quote Brad Meltzer on the matter, "That'd be like throwing a seventies party and saying 'no crappy clothes'".
HAL JORDAN
I know that DC/WB is keen on using John Stewart to add some ethnic diversity to the team (Martian Manhunter is green, but I guess that doesn't count cuz he isn't real
), and that's fine by me because Hal Jordan is getting his own Green Lantern film. But Hal Jordan is a major fan favorite, and a lot of people have expressed how pissed off they are over John being used instead Hal in the film. Is there a solution? Yes. Compromise. John Stewart can be the main Green Lantern in the JLA film, but have Hal show up in a scene and converse with John. Just 40 seconds of face-time for Hal Jordan and fans will go wild and will love the movie to death. If Marvel can get Tony Stark to have a 90 second scene with Thunderbolt Ross at the end of Incredible Hulk then surely DC/WB can get Hal to cameo in JLA. Besides, what better way to establish to audiences that there's more than one Green Lantern then to have Hal and John appear in the same film? This will also get more people interested in the Green Lantern film, and will help them accept Hal Jordan, who is a white guy, being the GL in the GL film. So there ya have it, John is the main GL featured in the JLA film, but Hal shows up for a half a minute cameo. Done. Everyone's happy. It doesn't drastically change the film one bit, if anything, it gets it more fan support.THE FLASH
I don't know for sure which Flash WB and CO are planning on using, but may I make a suggestion? BARRY ALLEN. Why? Well, first of all, he's the most self contained of all the Flashes, you don't have to know who Jay Garrick, Wally West, or Bart Allen are in order to know who Barry is. To tell Wally's story, Barry has to be established first, Wally's character's entire reason for being is is based on Barry Allen. Wally was Kid Flash, Barry's sidekick and nephew, like Robin to Batman, before he became Flash, and from what I hear, WB isn't keen on there being more than 1 Flash in their film, I don't blame them. As if it isn't enough for audiences to accept one speedster and the rest of the JLA, they have to accept a Flash sidekick, who's essentially a miniature Barry Allen? Pretty thin, and not a good idea for the first big screen outing for the character from where I sit. Secondly, Barry Allen has the coolest secret identity; he's a forensic scientist, which is, I don't know if you've noticed, an extremely popular job in entertainment these days. Look at CSI Miami, Bones, Silent Witness, Criminal Minds, Dexter, NCIS, Monk, all popular and successful shows about forensic scientists, a superhero with this job would be very well accepted, Barry is that superhero. Also, he's the only Flash to consistently have a secret identity. Up until recently (for over 18 years), Wally's identity was publicly known, he was viewed as a sort of celebrity, similar to the Fantastic 4. Barry Allen also has the best origin (also the most self contained); "Barry Allen is a 24 year old police scientist with a reputation for being very slow, deliberate, and frequently late, which frustrated his girlfriend/eventual fiancée, Iris West. One night, as he was preparing to leave work, a lightning bolt shattered a case full of chemicals and spilled them all over him. As a result, Barry found that he could run extremely fast, had matching reflexes, and had complete control over his molecular structure. He donned a red suit sporting a lightning bolt, dubbed himself the Flash, and became a crimefighter" (- wikipedia). 'Nuff said. He was also a founding member of the original JLA, even suggesting the word "justice" be used in the alliance's name. Barry would be the best Flash to translate to film. The only way they could possibly use Wally would be if they took Barry's story and gave it to Wally, much like the JLU show did. Not to mention that Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver are re-launching the Flash comic this January (Jan 2009) with Barry Allen as the lead Flash again in Flash: Rebirth, much like they did with Hal Jordan in the Green Lantern comic back in 2005, so it would be great if the on screen Flash were the same as the Flash in the current comic books. Also, WB and CO, while the Flash character, namely Barry and Wally, has always maintained a good sense of humor, PLEASE, PLEASE, don't make the Flash a complete joke. He can be humorous, even the team's so called "comedy relief", but do not make the Flash into a joke. I don't think he should be played as jokey as he was on the JL/JLU show played him, the Flash on that show's personality was much more in line with Bart Allen's from his Impulse days then that of the actual Wally West or Barry Allen. I don't want to see the Flash doing something stupid every time he shows up just for a cheap laugh from the audience, The Flash is a sensible guy, not an idiot and shouldn't be played that way.
NO MORE SUPERMAN THE WUSS
WB and CO, Take a cue from the JLU show and Byrne era Superman and have Supes kick some long over due ass this time, please. All the way back to the Reeve films, WB has played Superman as a punching bag wimp. No more. Let Superman cut loose, Superman shouldn't take **** from no one, let him FIGHT something. Give us a the REAL Superman, the tough, ass kicking Superman.
BATMAN: THE THINKING MAN
Fer godsakes, this Batman has got to be a smart one. The JLA Batman needs to be Batman the detective, the tactician, the thinking man, the guy who can outsmart everyone, who's physically the least powerful on the team, but if he puts his mind to it he can do anything. If he puts his mind to it he could destroy every member on the team. That's the only way Batman can be valuable to the League, he's "the smart one". He's also got to be the technological genius, the guy with all the gadgets and things, he's got to be inventive, he built the Watchtower, the League's headquarters, the batmobile, etc. Those aspects of Batman need to be focused on very heavily in this film, because if they aren't, Batman's just a guy who's good at hiding and beating up people, which isn't very impressive or useful when compared to the guy who can throw mountains, or the guy who can move at lightspeed, or the guy who can read minds and fly, etc. The JLA Batman has to be a bi t t more of a sci fi type Batman instead of the "real world" Batman of the Nolan's films in order to fit into the world of Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and the JLA.
A VILLAIN WORTHY OF THEIR TALENTS
Darkseid. The White Martians. Brainiac. Mongul. Amazo. Max Lord and the OMACs. Despero. Anyone of these would make a great choice for the JLA's first big screen outing. There should be lots of fights and battles throughout the movie, Transformers scale stuff. Have Supes and Darkseid have a showdown while the rest of the League fights parademons, stuff like that. It has to be HUGE.
NO ORIGIN, PLEASE
There's no need to have Justice League be an origin film. I just don't see the reason. They're 7 superheroes, there doesn't have to be an elaborate explanation for why they team exists. If individual characters' origins are mentioned or explained briefly, that's fine, but there's no need for this to be a long winded origin film, IMO.
STAPLES OF THE LEAGUE
Martian Manhunter is a MUST. He must be in this film. He's got many awesome abilities, he looks cool, he's one of DC's most interesting characters, he has to be in this film. He's become one of DC's most popular characters in such a short amount of time because of the cartoons. Even my mom likes him. He doesn't need a part as major as Superman, Batman, WW, Flash, or even GL, but he needs to be there and have a purpose. Aquaman should be in it too, however he won't need to be shown that much, out of all the characters, he could have the least amount of face-time.That said, when he does show up, WB and CO, don't treat him as a joke because he lives under water and can communicate with sea creatures. Show why he's valuable to the League. If not, then don't even include him in the film. Perhaps in sequels The Atom (Ray Palmer), and Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Hawkman & Hawkgirl, and Black Canary could have cameos.
CASTING WITH JUSTICE
Cast very carefully. If many unknowns are cast for the heroes, they must be able to look and sound like them and ACT. However, a film like this needs some star power, a familiar face needs to be in it, whether it's as a villain or hero or even a supporting character, there must be at least 1-2 big names with a project this size, in my opinion. Granted, some of the characters will sell the movie itself, like Superman and Batman, but the rest of the Leaguers, unfortunately, won't be getting that much attention unless there's a bigger name playing them or there's a big name in the film. Look at Iron Man, most people had no idea who that character was but they knew who Robert Downey Jr. was, and that's what got their attention, that he was playing a character like that, and ultimately, I think that factored into the film's success. Something similar needs to be done with the League. I'm not saying cast big names as all the heroes or even most the heroes, but for some par ts, maybe a vi llain, there need s to be a big name cast. While GOOD unknowns are...good, a film this size can't support itself on only nobodies, a big name needs to be thrown in somewhere.
GET PEOPLE WHO GIVE A DAMN
This goes for director, writer, costume designer, etc, if the people don't care about the source material, then the film doesn't work. Remember, the closer it is to the source material, the more successful the film is, which is why it's so important that the makers of the movie care about the JLA.
THEY HAVE TO LOOK LIKE THE JLA
Look, the JLA ain't X-Men. Their suits are iconic, they mean something, they're individuals, they're a major part of what makes them so recognizable. Wonder Woman needs to look like Wonder Woman. Superman needs to look like Superman. The Flash needs to look The Flash. Martian Manhunter needs to look like the Martian Manhunter, and dare I say it, Batman needs to look like Batman. I'm not saying that the suits need to be made out of cheap spandex and tighty tights, but the overall look of the characters needs maintain the appearance they've had in the comics. Make the suits out of stylish materials, like the Spider-Man movie suit, or Daredevil movie suit, or even the Superman Returns suit's material, there's a way to do the comic book suits and make them look good without compromising the classic comic book looks. It doesn't have to be "Adam West" or plastic/rubbery Tim Burton, there are plenty of different styles and materials to chose from to make each character look believable and respectful of their comics counterparts. They shouldn't look like X-Men or wear black rubber/plastic or junk hugging, peter pan tights. There is a way to get the costumes right.
IMPRESSIVE. MOST IMPRESSIVE
Do something people have never seen before, make the audience feel like they've been somewhere. Do some really epic stuff, impress people with the SFX and fight scenes. Do trivial things that will excite people (examples) like Superman and Flash having a race, show how Martian Manhunter shape shifts, have GL make giant hands or whatever with his ring, do a close up of the Flash vibrating his molecules so he can pass thru solid objects, or have him run up the side of a building, stuff like that and more. Make people remember the movie. Do some Star Wars-ian, real epic type stuff.
TEAM SCORE
The JLA movie soundtrack must not be anything short of Williamsesque if you catch my drift. It can't be filled with secular tunes that will make the film look dated ten years from now. It also must have a score that holds up with the rest of the film, unlike some of the greatest latest comics film, such as Iron Man, Batman Begins, and Incredible Hulk (great stories, poor scores). In other words, WB and CO, get somebody like John Willaims to score it.
NOT ANOTHER CARTOON
No way should it be anything other than live action, dammit. I think it would take away from the film's box office and wouldn't quite do the characters, who have been waiting a loooooongtime to be in a live action, big budget movie, if you'll pardon my choice of word, JUSTICE. Save the "mo-cap" crap video game stuff or whatever for DTVs or TV. Besides, THE AVENGERS is gonna be live action.
AN AMERICAN NAME
Look, I'm all for having "America" in the name, but I have a feeling that Justice League of America would make for too long of a title, and not everyone would get the acronym "JLA", plus WB and CO are concerned with how to market a film with "America" in its name overseas. So I say that the film simply be called "Justice League" and in the film the League can be referred to as JLA (Justice League of America) and Justice league, JLA can be the logo on their headquarters, equipment, etc. It's a nice compromise and I think it'd work.
DON'T LISTEN TO THE HATERS
I'm talking about the ungrateful nits who say they don't ever want a JLA film (but will go see it opening day heheh). The people who are constantly prophecying "doom and gloom" for a JLA film, a film of which they actually know very, very little about. Don't worry about them. Once some pictures and a trailer are released they'll be all over how awesome the film is, so pay no attention to the petty whiners who don't want a JLA film made cuz it'll "get in the way of their Batman and/or Superman films", which is complete BS, by the way. The more success and exposure these characters have, the better, it keeps them household names (in a good way), makes more money for DC/WB, and is a win/win scenario for we, the fans, who get to see more of our respective heroes. I have no problem with Bale and Routh's Batman and Superman being on screen the same time as the JLA's Batman and Superman. I will go see them all. (Just make it good!
)Now hopefully, somebody important reading this will take my suggestions into consideration and we'll have a truly awesome JLA film. I wish WB and CO the best with all their DC Comics based projects and hope for the best with this film.
That's what I've been saying! 
